This and That

Just some random thoughts that I want to write down somewhere...

-Emma starting school has opened up a whole new world for me. Since the kids haven't been involved in any classes or anything out in the community yet, their friends are all friends from church. And since we hang out with the kids' friends, our socializing is almost exclusively with our church friends. Being around people outside of our faith these last couple of weeks, I've realized a LOT how much our conversations turn to church topics, even if it's just using terms and expressions that aren't common outside our church. It's like a whole different language.  :)

Churchy stuff aside, I still don't feel like I fit in the school parent social scene. For one, I feel so much younger than all the other parents....it's safe to say I'm the youngest mom there. And I don't feel sophisticated (is that the right word?) enough to "hang out" with them. They all have careers, and if they're staying home now, they had careers for several years. And I'm "just" a mom...always have been. People here are always surprised to find out that I never worked after college...we chose to start a family instead. And then there are the number of kids. I feel like people are always doing double takes when I walk up with the double stroller and Emma walking next to me. And that is followed by "are they all yours??? Wow, you've got your hands full!" I've had people tell me they don't know why anyone would want more than 2 kids. I seriously think we have the biggest family in Emma's class! The other big thing I've noticed is that people are always talking about drinking. It's the suggestion, the cure all for every situation...even suggesting that alcohol is the only reason people have more than 1 kid. I feel like I never know how to respond to people. I am definitely not in Utah/Idaho anymore. :)

Having said that, I have met some very nice people. And I think this will all be a good experience. I'm excited to become friends with people outside my little comfortable circle. For now, it's still a bit of a culture shock of sorts. But it's good.

-I feel incredibly lucky with Matthew's situation. I felt out of place (sheesh...this seems to be the theme of my life right now!) being in the children's hospital. There we were, our son was bouncing off the walls (thank you steroids!), running around, playing. And we were surrounded by kids who were fighting for their lives, who had been there for weeks, who had much more serious issues than Matthew. We were there for 2 days and we were completely exhausted. We live close enough that I was able to go home every night. I can't imagine how all those other families feel...who are there for long periods of time and who have to travel much longer distances to be able to get the care their kids need. I hope we never have to deal with anything more serious than what we did. Though if we do, I feel blessed to live so close to one of the best children's hospitals in the country. It is comforting to know that Matthew was getting the best care possible and that we have that resource there if we ever need.

I also have to give a little shout out to Emma and Ellie...they were SO great through all of it. Emma was having a great time. After school, she got to have an all day play date with one of her best friends...and then she got to sleep over at his house....on a SCHOOL NIGHT. Then the next day she got to go to McDonalds with a classmate and then back to her friends house for another all day play date. She grumbled a lot about having to come home Friday. I think she secretly wishes Matthew would go to the hospital more. :) And Ellie was seriously amazing the whole time. She spent all day Thursday and Friday and half a day Saturday at the hospital with us. Through the ER and the travelling and talking to doctors and everything, she slept or hung out and waited until it was convenient for us before she got hungry or needed us. I know we were being watched over.

- I've got about a million pictures that I want to post, but they're all on our laptop which is still waiting for an anti-virus program to be installed before I can use it again. (The last program uninstalled itself and won't let us reinstall it again....so annoying!)

- It's SO good to be getting back into a routine again with school starting. I'm excited for Matthew to start preschool...2 more weeks!

- The doctors told us the steroids they gave Matthew would make him hyper...they weren't kidding! A positive side effect though, is that it stimulates his appetite. I think this boy has eaten more food the last 4 days than he has the last month.

- I am SO loving Ellie's sleep schedule. She goes to bed around 8:30 and has consistently been sleeping 10-11 hour stretches. Love love love it!